Benjamin Earl King known as Ben E. King, was an American soul and R&Bsinger. He was perhaps best known as the singer and co-composer of "Stand by Me"—a US Top 10 hit in both 1961 and later in 1986 (when it was used as the theme to the film of the same name), a number one hit in the UK in 1987, and #25 on the RIAA's list of Songs of the Century—and as one of the principal lead singers of the R&B vocal group the Drifters.

Early life

King was born Benjamin Earl Nelson on September 28, 1938 in Henderson, North Carolina,[4] and moved to Harlem, New York, at age 9.

Career

In 1958, King (still using his birth name) joined a doo wop group called the Five Crowns. Later in 1958, the Drifters' manager George Treadwell fired the members of the original Drifters, and replaced them with the Five Crowns.[5] King had a string of R&B hits with the group on Atlantic Records. He co-wrote and sang lead on the first Atlantic hit by the new version of the Drifters, "There Goes My Baby" (1959). He also sang lead on a succession of hits by the team of Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, including "Save the Last Dance for Me", "This Magic Moment", and "I Count the Tears".[4] King only recorded thirteen songs with the Drifters—two backing other lead singers and eleven lead vocal performances—including a non-single called "Temptation" (later redone by Drifters vocalist Johnny Moore). The last of the King-led Drifters singles to be released was "Sometimes I Wonder", which was recorded May 19, 1960, but not issued until June 1962.[6]

Due to a contract dispute with Treadwell in which King and his manager, Lover Patterson, demanded that King be given a salary increase and a fair share of royalties, King never again performed with the Drifters on tour or on television; he would only record with the group until a suitable replacement could be found. On television, fellow Drifters member Charlie Thomas usually lip-synched the songs that King had recorded with the Drifters.

In May 1960, King left the Drifters,[4] assuming the more memorable stage name Ben E. King in preparation for a successful solo career. Remaining with Atlantic Records on its Atco imprint, King scored his first solo hit with the ballad "Spanish Harlem" (1961).[4] His next single, "Stand by Me", written with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, ultimately would be voted as one of the Songs of the Century by the Recording Industry Association of America. "Stand by Me", "There Goes My Baby", and "Spanish Harlem" were named as three of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll; and each of those records plus "Save The Last Dance For Me" has earned a Grammy Hall of Fame Award. King's other well-known songs include "Don't Play That Song (You Lied)", "Amor", "Seven Letters", "How Can I Forget", "On the Horizon", "Young Boy Blues", "First Taste of Love", "Here Comes the Night", "Ecstasy", and "That's When It Hurts". In the summer of 1963, King had a Top 30 hit with "I (Who Have Nothing)", which reached the Top 10 on New York's radio station, WMCA.

King's records continued to place well on the Billboard Hot 100 chart until 1965. British pop bands began to dominate the pop music scene, but King still continued to make R&B hits, including "What is Soul?" (1966), "Tears, Tears, Tears" (1967), and "Supernatural Thing" (1975). A 1986 re-issue of "Stand by Me" followed the song's use as the theme song to the movie Stand By Me and re-entered the Billboard Top Ten after a 25-year absence.

In 1990, King and Bo Diddley, along with Doug Lazy, recorded a revamped hip hop version of the Monotones' 1958 hit song "Book of Love" for the soundtrack of the movie Book of Love. He also recorded a children's album, I Have Songs In My Pocket, written and produced by children's music artist Bobby Susser in 1998, which won the Early Childhood News' Directors' Choice Award and Dr. Toy's/The Institute For Childhood Resources Award. King performed "Stand by Me" on the Late Show with David Letterman in 2007. Ahmet Ertegun said, "King is one of the greatest singers in the history of rock and roll and rhythm and blues."[7]

As a Drifter and as a solo artist, King had achieved five number one hits: "There Goes My Baby", "Save The Last Dance For Me", "Stand By Me", "Supernatural Thing", and the 1986 re-issue of "Stand By Me". He also earned 12 Top 10 hits and 26 Top 40 hits from 1959 to 1986. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a Drifter; he has also been nominated as a solo artist.

King's "I (Who Have Nothing)" was selected for the Sopranos Peppers and Eggs Soundtrack CD (2001).

King was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2009.[8]

On March 27, 2012, the Songwriters Hall of Fame announced that "Stand By Me" would receive its 2012 Towering Song Award and that King would be honored with the 2012 Towering Performance Award for his recording of the song.[9]

Later life

King was active in his charitable foundation, the Stand By Me Foundation.[10] He was a resident of Teaneck, New Jersey, from the late 1960s.[11]

King performed "Stand By Me" during a televised tribute to late comedian George Carlin, as he was one of Carlin's favorite artists.

On November 11, 2010, he performed "Stand By Me" on the Latin Grammys with Prince Royce.

In 2013 he was still active, completing a tour of the UK.

Discography

Albums

• Spanish Harlem (1961, Atco) US: #57 UK: #30[12]
• Ben E. King Sings for Soulful Lovers (1962)
• Don't Play That Song! (1962)
• Young Boy Blues (1964)
• Ben E. King's Greatest Hits (1964)
• Seven Letters (1965)
• What Is Soul (1967) (not issued in the U.S.)
• Rough Edges (1970, Maxwell)
• The Beginning of It All (1972, Mandala)
• Supernatural (1975, Atlantic) US: #39
• I Had a Love (1976)
• Rhapsody (1976)
• Let Me Live in Your Life (1978)
• Music Trance (1980)
• Street Tough (1980)
• Save the Last Dance for Me (1987, EMI-Manhattan)
• Stand by Me: The Ultimate Collection (1987, Atlantic) UK: #14[12]
• What's Important to Me (1991, Ichiban)
• Anthology (1993, Rhino)
• Shades of Blue (1993, Half Note)
• I Have Songs in My Pocket (1998, Bobby Susser)
• The Very Best of Ben E. King (1998, Rhino) UK: #15[12]
• Eleven Best (2001, Cleopatra)
• Person To Person: Live At The Blue Note (2003, Half Note)
• Soul Masters (2005, Digital Music Group)
• I've Been Around (2006, True Life)
• Love Is Gonna Get You (2007, Synergy)
• Heart & Soul (2010–2011, CanAm Records)

Other albums

• Benny and Us (1977) US: #33 (Average White Band & Ben E. King)
• The Atlantic Family Live in Montreux (1977) (A recording involving the Average White Band and other artists)
• Soul Clan (1968) (as a member of The Soul Clan)

Singles with the Drifters

• "There Goes My Baby" (1959) R&B: #1 US: #2
• "Oh My Love (1959)
• "Dance With Me" (1959) R&B: #2 US: #15 UK: #17
• "This Magic Moment" (1960) R&B: #4 US: #16
• "Lonely Winds" (1960) R&B: #9 US: #54
• "Hey Señorita" (1960)
• "Save the Last Dance for Me" (1960) R&B: #1 US: #1 UK: #2
• "Nobody But Me" (1960)
• "I Count the Tears" (1960) US: #17 UK: #28
• "Sometimes I Wonder" (1962)

Solo singles[edit]

• "Brace Yourself (1960, Atco)
• "Show Me the Way" (1960, Atco)
• "A Help-Each-Other Romance" (1960, Atlantic) with LaVern BakerCB: #105
• "How Often" (1960, Atlantic) with LaVern Baker
• "Spanish Harlem (1961, Atco) R&B: #15 US: #10, CB: #9
• "First Taste of Love" (1961) US: #53 UK: #27, CB: #91 (b-side of "Spanish Harlem")
• "Stand by Me" (1961) R&B: #1 US: #4 UK: #27, CB: #3
• "Amor" (1961) R&B: #10 US: #18 UK: #38, CB: #19
• "Young Boy Blues" (1961) US: #66, CB: #86
• "Here Comes the Night" (1961) US: #81 (b-side of "Young Boy Blues") CB: #TAG
• "Ecstasy" (1962) US: #56, CB: #50
• "Don't Play That Song (You Lied)" (1962) R&B: #2 US: #11, CB: #11
• "Auf Wiedersehen, My Dear (1962)
• "Too Bad" (1962) US: #88, CB: #88
• "I'm Standing By" (1962) US:#111, CB: #123
• "Tell Daddy" (1962) US:#122 R&B: #29, CB: #138
• "How Can I Forget" (1963) R&B: #23 US: #85, CB: #82
• "I (Who Have Nothing)" (1963) R&B: #16 US: #29, CB: #25, AC: #10
• "The Beginning of Time" (1963) CB: #tag (b-side of "I (Who Have Nothing)")
• "I Could Have Danced All Night" (1963) US: #72, CB: #112
• "Gypsy" (1963) CB: #tag (b-side of "I Could Have Danced All Night")
• "What Now My Love" (1964) US:#102, CB: #132
• "That's When It Hurts" (1964) US: #63, CB: #57, R&B: #17
• "What Can A Man Do" (1964) R&B: #39, US:#113, CB: #106
• "It's All Over" (1964) R&B: #40, US: #72, CB: #93
• "Let the Water Run Down" (1964) CB: #144 (b-side of "It's All Over")
• "Around The Corner" (1964) US:#125
• "Seven Letters" (1965) R&B: #11 US: #45, CB: #58
• "The Record (Baby I Love You)" (1965) Pop: #84 R&B: #24, CB: #105
• "She's Gone Again" (1965) US: #128
• "Cry No More" (1965)
• "(There's) No Place To Hide" (1965) (b-side of "Cry No More")
• "Goodnight My Love" (1965) US: #91, CB: #87
• "So Much Love" (1966) US: #96, CB: #54
• "Get In a Hurry" (1966)
• "I Swear By Stars Above" (1966) R&B: #35 (b-side of "Get in a Hurry")
• "They Don't Give Medals to Yesterday's Heroes" (1966)
• "What Is Soul?" (1966) R&B: #38, CB: #113 (b-side of "They Don't Give...")
• "A Man Without a Dream (1967)
• "Tears, Tears, Tears" (1967) R&B: #34 US: #93, CB: #105 (b-side of "A Man Without...")
• "Katherine" (1967) CB: #113
• "Teeny Weeny Little Bit" (1967) (b-side of "Katherine")
• "Don't Take Your Sweet Love Away" (1967) R&B: #44
• "We Got a Thing Goin' On" (1968) with Dee Dee Sharp US: #127, CB: #122
• "Don't Take Your Love from Me" (1968) US: #117
• "Where's the Girl" (1968)
• "It Ain't Fair" (1968)
• "Soul Meeting" (1968) with The Soul Clan R&B: #34
• "Till I Can't Take It Anymore" (1968) R&B: #45, US: #134, CB: #135
• "Hey Little One" (1969)
• "I Can't Take It Like a Man" (1970, Maxwell) R&B: #45
• "Take Me to the Pilot" (1972, Mandala)
• "Into the Mystic" (1972)
• "Spread Myself Around" (1973)
• "Supernatural Thing, Part 1" (1975, Atlantic) R&B: #1 US: #5, CB: #9
• "Do It in the Name of Love" (1975) R&B: #4 US: #60, CB: #64
• "We Got Love" (1975)
• "I Had a Love" (1975) R&B: #23, CB: #104 (b-side of "We Got Love")
• "I Betcha you Didn't Know" (1976)
• "Get It Up" (1977) with Average White Band R&B: #21
• "A Star in the Ghetto" (1977) R&B: #25 with Average White Band
• "Fool for You Anyway" (1977) with Average White Band
• "I See the Light" (1978)
• "Fly Away to My Wonderland" (1978)
• "Music Trance" (1979) R&B: #29
• "Street Tough" (1981)
• "You Made the Difference in My Life" (1981)
• "Stand By Me [re-issue]" (1986) US: #9 UK: #1, CB: #10, AC: #10
• "Spanish Harlem [re-issue]" (1987)
• "Save the Last Dance for Me" [re-recorded] (1987, EMI-Manhattan) UK: #69
• "What's Important to Me" (1991, Ichiban)
• "You've Got All of Me" (1992)
• "You Still Move Me" (1992)
• "4th of July" (1997, Right Stuff)[12]

References

1. ^ Jump up to:a b Furness, Hannah. "Stand By Me singer Ben E King dies at 76". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
2. Jump up^ "King, Ben E.". Veromi. Retrieved 2010-03-05.
3. Jump up^ "R&B legend Ben E King dies at 76". BBC. May 1, 2015. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
4. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e Strong, Martin C. (2000). The Great Rock Discography (5th ed.). Edinburgh: Mojo Books. pp. 531–532. ISBN 1-84195-017-3.
5. Jump up^ Jones, Soul (2011-06-01). "Soul Jones Words: Play It Again, Ben - Ben E. King Interview". Souljoneswords.blogspot.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
6. Jump up^ Goldberg, Marv. "Marv Goldberg's R&B Notebooks: The Later Drifters". Retrieved 24 October 2013.
7. Jump up^ "Ben E. King". Beneking.info. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
8. Jump up^ "2009 Inductees". North Carolina Music Hall of Fame. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
9. Jump up^ "Stand By Me Named Towering Song, Ben E. King Towering Performance, Lance Freed Abe Olman Publisher". SongHall. 2012-03-27. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
10. Jump up^ "The Ben E. King Stand By Me Foundation". Benekingstandbyme.org. 2011-08-11. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
11. Jump up^ Beckerman, Jim. "Ben E. King can't stop the music", The Record (Bergen County), May 10, 2008. Accessed March 1, 2009.
12. ^ Jump up to:a b c d Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 302. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.